Page 72: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 1992)

and distant islands, high-speed craft are capable of dominating any route where time-saving is justified.

Potential customers include the

UK P&O shipping line, Danish rail- ways' DSO ferry operator, the main

Norwegian or Greek island compa- nies, or even Hoverspeed, which in- troduced SeaCats so successfully on its Dover-Calais routes in July 1991.

The SeaCats' speed factor has proven commercially advantageous.

Recently released figures from

Hoverspeed show its SeaCats had increased its market share of cross-

Channel routes from 12 to 18 per- cent, mostly at the expense of rival

P&O ferries.

This summer, the focus moved to the Mediterranean. Here, the first big fast-ferry operation began on

August 1, when an Italian firm launched a twice-daily service be- tween Civitavecchia near Rome and the small Sardinian port of La

Caletta, using a SeaCat named "Sardinia Express," on loan from

Hoverspeed. Journey time has been cut from eight hours via conven- tional ferry to 3.5 hours. The new route is very popular; for the first time a return journey has been pos- sible in daylight, opening up a new market for day-trippers.

Fast ferries are not only exciting to watch and travel on, they can be highly profitable. Sardinia Express spokesman Stefano Marinzulich said "We are making a 10 percent profit on investment, double the re- wards for ordinary ferry operators, even though our fares are 35 per- cent higher." With bigger ferries on the way, operators look optimisti- cally to correspondingly larger prof- its.

Yet the biggest latent market could be in fast cargo ferries. Finn- ish shipyard Kvaerner Masa has produced a futuristic design of a pencil-slim cargo vessel, the 225- meter long monohull EuroExpress, aiming to halve journey times on

Europe's "sail-boat slow" primary freight routes..

On the busy Travemunde-Hel- sinki link, a 36-hour haul for ordi- nary ships, EuroExpress could make the journey in just 18 hours, carry- ing 2,000 to 3,000 tons of freight at not less than 35 knots.

This means shipping companies on the route will require only two ships instead of four to provide a daily service, reaping massive cost savings for shipping operators in hardware and crews. If and when special dedicated dock facilities have been built, the projected ship's unique side-doors will also halve the unloading-loading time spent in port from 12 hours to six, ensur- ing rapid turnaround.

Other routes where EuroExpress could reduce freight journey times with daily scheduled services are

This 250 car, 876 passenger ferry from Swath Ocean can attain 36.5 knots.

Oslo-Harwich, Gothenburg-Zee- brugge, Southampton-Santander and Barcelona-Civitavecchia.

Industry analysts suggest

Kvaerner Masa will clinch an order for EuroExpress before 1993.

Advanced fast ferry technology, though, takes time to perfect. This summer, a French high-speed cata- maran, modified from a former

French navy coastal patrol boat, abandoned its Brighton-Dieppe route after only one week because of its inability to cope with bad weather.

On top of removing the need for thousands of slow and costly truck journeys on Europe's congested motorways, the fast cargo-passen- ger ferry will cut delivery times and certainfreight costs to industry. Fast ferries will also serve a vital role in aiding regional policy by linking more closely some of the EC's pe- ripheral, and often poorer, regions with the heart of the community.

But the future apart, Interna- tional Catamarans will now have to move fast to stay at the forefront of high-speed ferry construction.

And with the Italian ships already well advanced, Incat's working de- sign for a 115-meter Cargo Super

Liner may become a reality sooner than later.

FOR SALE OR LEASE

Marine Research Facility

TOW TANK - 418 ft.long

HIGH SPEED CHANNEL 5 Building

Washington - ,s on 22+ acres

Baltimore Corridor

ATTRACTIVELY PRICED

Paul Grinberg & Associates 301-365-2420

Circle 313 on Reader Service Card = CUNNINGHAM MARINE HYDRAULICS CO., INC. =

Cunningham Marine Hydraulics Co., Inc. has provided repair, overhaul and manufacturing service of hydraulic equipment and systems since 1972 to U.S. Government and commer- cial marine customers on a worldwide - always available basis.

To contact Cunningham Marine call: (201)792-0500 or (800)322-2641. Fax: (201)792-7716.

SERVICE REPAIR

PARTS CONSULTING

CUNNINGHAM MARINE HYDRAULICS CO., INC. 201 Harrison Street • Hoboken N.J. 07030

New York: (212)267-0328 Hoboken, New Jersey: (201)792-0500

FAX: (2011792-7716 Circle 317 on Reader Service Card

EQUIPMENT CO., INC

Exclusive U.S. Importer and Stocking Distributor for:

WINEL

Winel b.v.

Tank Vent Check Valves and Spare Parts

USCG & ABS approved 2321 Greenwood Dr., Kenner, LA 70062 (504) 467-1030

FAX (504) 467-1039

RUBBER MARINE FENDERING

All styles and sizes available O • A

CYLINDRICAL RECTANGULAR TRAPEZOIDAL

ADO • Meets demanding service conditions • Lowest cost maintenance • Highest energy impact

V-SERIES D-SHAPED AND WING-TYPE

TO ORDER CALL TOLL-FREE 1-800-777-0600

ROWE BUMPERS, DIV.

FREE 20 PAGE CONVEYER & CASTER CORP. ^CATALOG ER 3501 Detroit Avenue • Cleveland, OH 44113

Phone: 216-631-0202 • FAX: 216-631-4448

Circle 290 on Reader Service Card

October, 1992

Circle 312 on Reader Service Card 73